Automatic water-regulator.



l A. CJGULVER.. AUTOMATIC WATER REGULATOR. Arrmouron P ILBD AUG, s, 1910.

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A; GQGULVER. AUTOMATIC WATER REGULATOR. APPLIOATIOI FILED AUG. 30, 1910.

1 985,147. 'Patented 11611.28, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 59 j W rf W rrNs .$35.5 NVENTOR UNITED 'sTarEsraTENToFF-icn.

ANDREW CLINTON CUL-VER, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT. A-SSIGNOR TO THE AUTO- MATIC REFBIGERATING COMPANY, OF HARTFORD,A CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

AUTOMATIC WATEKREGLATOR.

IatentcdFeb. 2S, 1911.

. l.To all whom 'Lt may concern.:

Be it known that, l, ANDREW CmN'roN Clim-rn, a citizen of the United States, re-

siding at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Automatic Tater-Regulator, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the devices employed for automatically supplying cooling water to the condenser of a refrigerating machine, whether of the compression or absorption type, or of an air compressor, or of other kinds of apparatus where the tension of a gas can be utilized to regulate the flow of such cooling water. It isan improvement on theconstru'ction set forth in the United States Patent to Marshall, No. $06,478, dated Dec. 5,1905. The means employed are as vwill appear.

ln the drawings Figure 1 is a partial right side elevation and a partial Vertical section of my invention with its valves closed and diaphragm lowered.v Fig. 2 is a front' elevation of the-upper part of the same structure.' Fig. 3 is a partial lright side elevation and a partial vertical section of the extreme top of the same structure with its automatic valve closed and its hand by pass valve open. Fig. 4 is a partial vertical section and a partial front eleva-tion of the structure of Fig. 2 at the top. Fig.

5 is an enlarged detail of the lower part of Fig. 1 partiallyin vertical section and partially in elevation with its diaphragm lifted..

. l"ig..6 is a horizontal section through the line G--G of Fig. 1 looking from above.

y Fig. 7 is a small front elevation of my invention with diagrammatic connections of a refrigerating system to which it is connected.

A frame' 8, as seen from the right in the manner shown in Fig. 1 has substantially the form of a square frame or yoke of I cross sectionl with a plate' 9 cast integral with one of the vertical shanks of the yoke.

as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 to serve as a wall plate for attachment to any convenient Vertical surface. In the upper and lower horizontal Shanks of the frame and in line with cach other are provided openings 11 and 12 respectively. inserted downward through the opening 1.1, so as to make a close fit, is the lower part of a `valve housing 13, threaded at its lower end and shouldered to seat on the frame'S. The hou'sing'is held in its seat by nut 14 screwed on the threaded part of the housing. The lower part of the housing 13 has a vertical bore 15, axially coincident 'with the opening .'11, for the passage of a stem 39 to be described, and at its lower .end it is 'provided with a stalling box `16 having a' gland 17 and a gland nut 18. The interior of housing 13 is divided into an -upper and lower chamber 13*l and 13b separated by a wall 10 in the manner best illustrated in- Fig. 4. Chamber 13a com? municates vwith the outside through inlet 20 and chamber 13a through outlet 21. lBoth chanibers communicate with each other through a vertical opening formed in wall 10 into a flat valve seat 19, and also through a horizontal. opening-formed int/(fa flat valve seatl 22. (Figs` 1 and 3). \Vith the latter seatcoperates valve disk 26 operated from the outside by hand wheel 24, and with seat 19 coperates valve 41, preferably faced with leather at 42 and operated by valvestem 39 screwed Vinto valve 41 l'as shown, so

ythat it maybe screwed farther up oi' down to secure the proper seating of the valve as will be referred to hereinafter. After the proper adjustment is made locknut 43 is tightened. By removing cap 44 screwed into-the top of housing 13 access may be had to valve 41 for adjusting purposes. In the lower horizontal shank of frame 8 .which contains opening-12, previously referred to, is secured the'diaphragm housing in the manner to be described. This housing consists of an upper member 29 and a lower member 45, which are bolted together as shown in Fig. 1 and the surfaces of which. facingeach other, are both concaved as also shown in Fig. 1 so that a steel diaphragm clamped between the two housing membersl may be deflected upward or downward for the purpose to be described. The upper member 29 has a central cylindrical Aupward extension with a boring 30 extending into member 29 and contracted at both ends as shown in Fig.' 1. Extension 27 isanged near its upper end at 35 for securing the whole diaphragm housing to frame 8, whereby the upper end of extension 27 is snugly fitted into opening 12 of frame 8. Through y boring 30 of extension 27 extends valve stem 39 previouslydescribed which carries at its lower'end a disk 40 of suitable `shape at its lower surface to bear against the center of diaphragm 49. A recess 29 concentrical with an inner boring which is wide enough to f form an annular chamber 32 around .stem 39 which passes centrally through this bor- 20 i vided on the concave surface of lowery diamember. A central bormg 47 extends from I. preferably be partially filled with oil which which is preferably of steel.

l the system, and I have therefre illustrated. .'liow this device is connected in, such systems lmatical illustration of whichis given in Fig;

means of pipe 55 througlr Amember 2 9 which receives disk'40 when the' passage of valve stem 39 thro vby pipe line- 60; 63 is the refrigerant Vrefrom main 50- after leaving condenser 52 may either be led 'oiffdirectly into waste pipe but slig tly larger than boring 30 is pro vided 1n the concave surface of housing ing, this boring, howevertbeing contracted -at both ends of the nutso-as to just allow. free h the ends of the nut. As a positive stop or the diaphragm 49 when it ius deflected downward by means of the pressure of spring 38, .au annular rim 46 distinctly shown in Fig. 5 is'pro'- phragm housing 45. The lower diaphragm housing i5-'is centrally bossed on the outside for securing a pipe connection to this the outside through boss 48 which communicates with the space of the diaphragm heus` ingbelow diaphragm 49 so that iuid pressure communicated through boring 47 to the underside of. diaphragm 49 may deect it upward against the tension of 'spring 38. Boring 30 which contains Vspring 38, may

thus also fills thespace above diaphragm 49 sofas to prevent rusting of the diaphragm,

The automatic water regulator jlist'described is particularly adapted for use in" refrigerat-ing systems to contr-ol. the iow of cooling water by the refrigerant pressure in and I shall hereinafter describe its o eration in connection with such system, a lagramr. In this ligure, 58 represents t-he refrigerant compressor, water jacketed at 57 452 is the condenser connected with the compressor ceiver, 66 represents an expansion valve of any vsuitabletype and 67 the axpansion coil or coils. Cooling water is supplied to condenser 52by means of pipe 6 1 through the condenser and the .cooling water supplied or it may be entirely or partially led by t ewater jacket vof course within the limits set b 57`of the compressor whence itpasses by way of pipe 59 into waste (pie 53, hand valves 54 and 56 being provi e to regulate the quantity of water Howing through the compressor `waterjacket or flowing dlrectly into waste pipe 53. Before water supply pipe 50 enters condenser 5 2, the water regu- 'lator described hereinbefore is interposed so thatJthe water is sup lied to the regulator through inlet'20 an leaves the devlce through outlet 21 previously referred to. To boss 48 of lower dia hragm housinvr 45 is connected from the refrigerant supply pipe 62 so that the pressure of he refrigerant in the high pressure side of e system vis communicated to the lower side of diaphragm 49. With the pipe 68.wh1ch is branche .olf A whole lsystem out ofL operation the tension of 4 A sprin 31 acting upon the diaphragm is adjustec so that the diaphragm is deflected downward inwhich osltion water valve 4l in chamber 13 is -hel tightly on .its seat so that no water can enter the cooling system .through pipe 50 (it beingassumed that hand valve 24 which'formsa y ass for the wa-4 ter around valve 41 is close lf now the compressor starts to operate and the refrigerant pressure in pipe 62 increases to a certain predetermined point, this pressure will at such point deect diaphragm 49 upward against the tension of spring 38 so that water valve 41 is lifted from its seat and water commences vto flow from supply pipe 50 into the cooling system. The more the pressure in pipe 62 rises, the higher valve 41 1s lifted,

the diaphragm structure reviouslydescribed. The

coolingof there riverant in the condenser having the effect o "reducing its pressure,

the diaphragm 49 will be gradually deflected downward by action vof spring 38 so that` soon an equilibrium will beireached atwhich enough cooling water will be supplied to the systemvto suiiciently cool the high pressure refrigerant to prevent further rise of its' pressure.- When the pressure in the system recedes, valve 41 is closed by the action of spring 38 and waste of water is thus prevented.

4The particular advantage of my improved water regulatorl is that atsuch places where a stuiiing box should be provided it has to.

be packed only against water pressure,

which is comparatively low, and not against-h the refrigerant pressure. In order not to vinterrupt the water supply in case the diaphragm 'chamber should have to be opened for repairs while the plant is in operation,

by pass valve 24 may be opened so that now water can pass directly through thewater regulator from inlet 20 to outlet 21, without vvalve 41v being open. It is of course understood that a valve 70 must lbe provided in pipe 68 so as-to prevent escape of refrigerant whilethe diaphragm chamber is open to the atmosphere.`

I claim: 1. In a device of the character described, the combination with a valve housing having an inlet and an outlet chamber adapted to conduct cooling liquid and a valve controlling the communication therebetween,

. a valve stem for operating said valve', a diaphragm housing below said valve housing and in line therewith containing a diaphragm suitably exposed at one side to fluid pressure and abut-ting at the other side against said valve'stem, and a compression spring on said stem tending to press it against said diaphragm and against said Huid pressure to seat said valve, means for adjusting the tension of said spring, said diaphragm housing having an upward ex tension containing said spring and adapted to be filled With suitable non-corrosive liquid, and a hand-controlled by pass valve around said cooling liqid valve connecting the inlet and outlet chamber thereof.

2. ln la device of the character described, the combination with a rectangular fra-me, a valve housing supported in the upper side of said frame having an inlet and an outlet chamber adapted to conduct cooling liquid,"

and a valve controlling the communication therebetween, a valve stem for operating said valve, a diaphragm .housing supported in the lower side of said frame and in axial alinement with said valve housing, said diaphragm housing containing a diaphragm suitably exposed at 011e side to Huid pressure and abutting at the other side against said valve stem, said diaphragm housing having an upward extension, a compression spring on said stern disposed in said upward extension and tending to press said stem against ANDREW CLINTON CULVER.

4 Witnesses: l

ALBERT T. MARSHALL, H. E. NoRMAN. 

